San Sebastian Motorhome Holiday

Miramar Gardens Photo by Jaume Meneses (Flickr Creative Commons)

Just over 12 miles from France, San Sebastian is a quiet and relaxed part of Spain. The city sits on a wild coastline backed by hills and is a good place to stop off in a motorhome rental or campervan hire vehicle. Broken into the old and new towns, it is best known for its beaches and speciality tapas called pinchos. San Sebastian is the Castilian or Spanish name for the city whereas the Basque name is Donostia so road signs and maps may feature one or both names, just so you don’t think you’re going mad!

Services for Motorhome Rental vehicles

The nearest Area to San Sebastian is at Ameskoa Baja over an hour away, it has full facilities but quite a long drive to the city. If you prefer a campsite there is a good choice of places to stay both along the coastline and further inland. Travelling into San Sebastian in a motorhome rental or campervan hire is not too much of a problem as unlike other cities there is less traffic and much more parking available.

Top things to see and do

Visit during Basque Week. Held at the beginning of September this week long festival features everything related to Basque culture such as Basque pelota; traditional ball games, stone lifting contests; a bit like weight lifting with huge stones, dance exhibitions, cider tasting and the main highlight, the rowing competition. The rowing competition is where teams from different towns in the region race for the Flag of la Concha. The streets and promenades are filled with thousands of supporters and of course there is a great celebration for the winners.

Visit one of the famous restaurants. San Sebastian and the surrounding area is home to restaurants which can boast 21 Michelin stars, that’s some achievement. The great seafood is probably one of the reasons why this area is so blessed; it’s also where many of Spain’s best chefs hang out, so that may be another reason too. If you want to try some traditional ‘snacks’ go into a bar in the old town, order a drink and you’ll get a plate of pintxos or the local tapas. These aren’t just any old tapas; these are particular to the region and extremely tasty.

One for the girls. Visit La Perla Centro Talaso-Sport. A mix between a thermal baths, a spa and a water amusement park. A relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

One for the boys. San Sebastian has three great beaches Playa de la Concha, Playa de Ondarreta and Playa de Gros, La Concha is great for surfing. Remember this is the Bay of Biscay but the waves are partially broken by the Isla Santa, don’t forget your wet suit.

Just for fun… Climb Monte Urgull, pretend you are in Rio and take a hike to the statue of Christ at the top, ok, not quite Christ the Redeemer but there are some great views from up there.

The Basque region is ideal for visitors with motorhome rental and campervan hire because the area’s roads are never packed with traffic and the pace of life here is much slower allowing you to relax and pull in whenever you like.